Disney's The Little Mermaid Companion Book Now Available

Disney Theatrical Productions and Disney Book Group jointly announced today that The Little Mermaid: From the Deep Blue Sea to the Great White Way (Disney Editions, $40.00), a companion book to Disney's hit Broadway musical, is now available wherever books are sold. The 176-page book written by Michael Lassell is richly illustrated with drawings by the show's set and costume designers, archival images from the Disney vault, never-before-seen shots of the rehearsal process, and dozens of dazzling full-color photographs of The Little Mermaid that gives readers a front-row seat for the creative process from beginning to end.

Broadway's The Little Mermaid, now in its second smash year, recently welcomed Tony® Award-winner Faith Prince, who assumed the role of Ursula, the Sea Witch. Disney's sparkling musical tells the tale of Ariel, a young mermaid princess who longs for a life above the sea. Author Michael Lassell was given unrestricted access to rehearsals and design meetings leading up to opening night of The Little Mermaid in 2008. The Little Mermaid: From the Deep Blue Sea to the Great White Way features dozens of interviews with cast, crew and designers and gives readers and fans of the show a comprehensive picture of all that went into the creation of this sensational Disney musical.

The Little Mermaid: From the Deep Blue Sea to the Great White Way is now available wherever books are sold. The book is also available at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, home to The Little Mermaid. On May 7, a book signing event with author Michael Lassell and featuring a special performance starring cast members from The Little Mermaid will take place at Barnes & Noble on Broadway and 66th Street in New York City.

Lassell has written three previous books about Disney's Broadway shows: Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida: The Making of the Broadway Musical, TARZAN®: The Broadway Adventure and most recently, Mary Poppins: Anything Can Happen If You Let It. He holds degrees from Colgate University, California Institute of the Arts, and the Yale School of Drama, and is currently the features director of Metropolitan Home magazine.

For the past 15 years, Disney Theatrical Productions (DTP) has been a leading producer of live Stage Entertainment on Broadway and around the world. Currently under the direction of producer and president Thomas Schumacher, DTP has produced six award-winning Broadway musicals: Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Elton John & Tim Rice's Aida, TARZAN®, Mary Poppins, a co-production by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, and The Little Mermaid. In total, these six shows have been seen by over 21 million people in New York alone and, cumulatively, over 82 million people worldwide. Thanks to the tremendous appeal of the Disney brand and its beloved characters, DTP has for 15 years brought new audiences to Broadway, many of whom have never been to the theatre before. Additionally, DTP produces and licenses its Broadway musicals around the world reaching a global annual audience of more than 10 million people in over 40 countries. DTP licenses musical titles for local schools and community productions through a partnership with Music Theatre International. Through its educational outreach department, DTP partners with New York City schools to bring young audiences to Broadway and DTP has donated regularly to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, among other charitable organizations.

Disney Book Group (DBG) is a unit of Disney Publishing Worldwide, the world's largest publisher of children's books and magazines, with over 400 children's magazines published and 120 million children's books sold each year. DBG's vertically integrated imprints include Disney Editions, Disney-Hyperion, Disney-Jump at the Sun, and Disney Press. Headquartered in White Plains, NY and Milan, Italy, Disney Publishing Worldwide publishes books and magazines in 85 languages in 75 countries, reaching more than 100 million readers each month.